Portable power-driven loader for handling grains and other bulk materials



July 6, 1954 2,682,947

V. C] BELT PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN LOADER FOR HANDLING GRAINS AND OTHER BULK MATERIALS Filed Feb. 28, 1948 3 Sheets-She i. i

Vrnan C. Bell July 6, 1954 v. c. BELT.

PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN 1.0mm FOR HANDLING GRAINS AND OTHER BULK MATERIALS Filed Feb. 28, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 y 6, 1954 v. c. BELT 2,682,947

PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN LOADER FOR HANDLING GRAINS AND OTHER BULK MATERIALS Filed Feb. 28, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 mm 5 whllil Zr mm mm Patented July 6, 1954 PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN LOADER FOR HANDLING GRAINS AND OTHER BULK MATERIALS Vernon C. Belt, Orient, Ohio, assignor to The Belt Corporation, Orient, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application February 28, 1948, Serial No. 11,996

1 Claim.

This invention relates to power driven elevators, and more particularly to portable lightweight elevators by which various materials in bulk form may be raised from lower to higher levels.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a lightweight compact power driven elevator adapted for the reception and elevation of small grains and ear corn and wherein the elevator comprises an elongated frame formed with a longitudinally e x t e n d in g material-receiving trough, the trough being formed to receive the advancing or upper run of an endless conveyor provided with spaced flights, the forward or lower end of the frame being provided with an opentopped hopper to facilitate the introduction of the materials to be elevated into the trough and their consequent elevation by the operation of the conveyor.

It is another object of the invention to provide an elevator of this character with a mounting for the support of a small internal combustion engine, the latter being employed to drive an upwardly and rearwardly disposed shaft of a material advancing conveyor.

A further object of the invention is to provide an elevator in which its material conveying trough intermediately of the length thereof is formed with screened openings to permit of the separation of small particles of materials being handled from bodies of larger size, as in the separation of shelled corn from ear corn.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide the forward or lower part of the elevator frame with a hooked structure permitting the elevator to be mounted on the sideboard of a truck, bin or wagon and to provide the rear end of the elevator frame with a bail to which a supporting cable may be connected for holding the rear or discharge end of the elevator in a desired position of operation.

Another object is to provide a strong, portable and lightweight elevator of such dimensions and weight that the same may be carried or moved from place to place by one man.

For a further and more detailed understanding of the invention, together with the objects and advantages, reference is to be had to the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. '1 is a view in side elevation disclosing my improved portable grain elevator in one of its positions of use, wherein materials are transferred from a ground location and elevated for discharge into a wagon or truck body;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of my improved elevator; I

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken through the elevator on the plane indicated by the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal sectional view taken through the rear or discharge end of the elevator;

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view, the plane of the figure being indicated by the line 55 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view looking toward the bottom of the material-conveying trough of the elevator from the plane indicated by the line E6 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged vertical longitudinal sectional View taken through the forward or material-receiving end of the elevator;

Fig. 8 is a front elevational view of the forward end of the elevator;

Fig. 9 is a vertical transverse sectional view on the line l9 of Fig. '7;

Fig. 10 is a detail sectional view on the line Eli-l0 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 11 is a detail horizontal sectional view on the plane indicated by the line I|H of Fig. 4;

Fig. 12 is a detail perspective view of one of the conveyor flights and its associated chain;

Fig. 13 is a detail sectional View disclosing the adjustment for sliding the conveyor engine for tensioning an associated driving belt;

Fig. 14. is a detail vertical sectional View taken on the line I l-4 4 of Fig. 1. 7

Referring more particularly to the drawings, my improved elevator comprises a straight longitudinally extending conveying trough I I. The latter comprises a bottom l2 and spaced upstanding vertical side walls |3 which, at their upper portions, flare outwardly as at H to increase the holding capacity of the trough. Preferably, the trough is formed from a lightweight sheet metal, such as aluminum or an alloy thereof. At the forward or lower end of the elevator, the trough walls are supplemented by side and end extension plates l5 and i6 respectively, the plates 15 and It in conjunction with the conveyor trough forming an open-topped hopper to facilitate the shoveling or other means for introducing the materials to be elevated into the trough. The side plates [6 are removably mounted on the trough so that the elevator can be passed through small openings when not in use.

Below the trough ll, there is provided a boxing I! having bottom and side walls l8 and [9 respeotively, the upper edges of the side Walls l9 being riveted or otherwise fastened as at to the side walls of the conveyor trough. In this instance, the end plate I 6 has its upper edge formed with a forwardly and laterally directed hook-shaped flange 2 l, which is braced by means of vertical web plates 22, the latter at their lower edges being rigidly joined with the forward end of the boxing ll. By means of the flange ii, the elevator may be hooked over the upper edge of one of the sideboards 23 of a truck or wagon body 24 for use in unloading materials from such a vehicle body and elevating the materials to a higher point of discharge and deposit.

At its forward or lower end, the bottom I2 of the trough carries a transversely extending horizontally disposed foot shaft 25. Supporting the foot shaft 25 is a casting 21, which extends rearwardly from said shaft and terminates in a recessed region 28 upon which is positioned and secured the forward end of the bottom wall I2 of the trough, as shown in Fig. '7. The casting is formed with bearing sleeves 27 which receive antifriction bearings 29. Lubricant introducing fittings 28 are provided for injecting a lubricant under pressure into the bearings.

Rctatable with the shaft 25 is a sprocket wheel as, and engaged with the teeth of this sprocket is an endless and flexible link chain SI of a conveyor. The chain 3| carries a plurality of longitudinally spaced and transversely extending material-advancing flights 32. Each of these flights embodies a plate-like sheet metal body having curved longitudinal edges 33, each flight being slotted as at 34 for the reception of the chain links 3|. Also each flight is provided on one side thereof with a U-shaped extension 35 which passes over the teeth of the sprocket wheel 30, as shown in Fig. '7, the side walls of said ex tensions being formed with or secured to certain of the links of the chain 31, so that the flights move in unison with the chain. While a single chain is utilized, the same is centrally disposed in the trough and carries the flights 32 which are of such length that they approximate the width of the trough ii.

The chain extends throughout the length of the trough and at the rear or material-discharging end of the latter there is provided a drive or head shaft 36. This shaft is journaled preferably in adjustable bearings 3'! to control the tautness of the chain, the shaft 36 having fixed thereto a driving sprocket wheel 38 over the peripheral teeth of which the chain 3| is trained. To rotate the shaft 36, the frame comprising the trough ll carries, as shown in Fig. 3, U-shaped frame bars 39, which constitute a rigid elevated bed on which is mounted for longitudinal adjustment 2. small internal combustion engine 4%. Such an engine may advantageously comprise a one-horsepower two-cycle air cooled gasoline engine. An electric motor may be substituted for the gasoline engine when the elevator is used under conditions in which electric energy is readily accessible.

The crank shaft of the engine ill drives a belt wheel 4! around which passes an endless belt 42, the latter also passing around a belt wheel 43 journaled for rotation on a stud shaft :14 projecting from one side of the trough ll. Longitudinal adjustment of the engine on its bed controls the tautness of the belt 42. Rotatable with the belt wheel 43 on the shaft 44 is a second belt wheel 45 of smaller diameter than the wheel 43, and an endless belt 46 passes around the wheel 45 and also around a belt wheel 41 fixed to one end of the drive or head shaft 36. The belts 42 and 46 are preferably of the V-type in transverse cross section to produce a positive drive action. It will be noted that the inverted iJ-shaped supports 39 maintain the engine at an adequate height above the trough to avoid interference with materials being conveyed through the trough. By locating the engine as shown on the loader, a fire hazard is minimized.

At the rear end of the trough, there is provided an inverted V-shaped bail 48. This bail is utilized for the purpose of enabling a rope or cable to be connected therewith for the purpose of suspending the upper or rear end of the elevator from a higher point. Thus the hookshaped flange 2| may be positioned over the edge of a truck body and the upper end of the elevator located in a position permitting of the discharge of the grains or other materials handled by the elevator on the second floor of a building or other relatively elevated location. Normally, my improved elevator possesses a length of aproximately 16 feet but by the advantage resulting from the use of the hooked flange 2| and the bail 48, the elevator may be adapted to operations normally performed by conventional elevators possessing a length of 24 feet or greater, particularly when the hooked flange is connected with a truck body.

It will be noted that in the advancement of the upwardly traveling run of the conveyor, the lower curved edges of the flights 32 ride over the upper surface of the trough bottom l2, such curvature serving to cause the flights to hug the upper surface of the trough. The U-shaped extensions 35 of the flights which are joined with the chain links, serve to hold the flights in perpendicular relation to the trough bottom and reinforce the flights.

As shown in Fig. 5, the head shaft 36 is rotatably supported in spaced bearings 31 carried by and depending from the trough bottom 12. These bearings may be adjusted longitudinally by the screws shown at 50.

The bottom [2 of the trough may be provided with a rectangular opening 5| intermediately of the length thereof. This opening is normally closed by means of a removable plate 52. However, in certain operations where it is desired to separate small materials from larger materials during the operation of the elevator, such as in the separation of shelled corn from ear corn, the plate 52 is removed. On the under side of the trough bottom, brackets 53 are provided which are formed with sockets 54 for the reception of the ends of longitudinally extending, transversely spaced and parallel screening bars 55. The spacing of these bars is such that when the plate 52 is removed, small particles of matter having a predetermined size, will pass through the bars 55, and will drop on the bottom of the boxing l1, gravitating toward the front or lower end of the elevator. To remove such small size materials, the boxing at its front end carries a removable panel 55, the latter having upturned side wings 51 which may be suitably fastened to the side walls 19 of the boxing. With the panel 56 removed, it will be seen that the small particles of matter, such as shelled corn, will be deposited at the foot end of the elevator and separated from ear corn or other relatively larger sized materials.

In view of the foregoing, it will be evident that the present invention provides a useful lightweight and eificient power loader for elevating many kinds of loose bulk materials. The elevator or loader is particularly useful in many farm operations involving the handling of grains. When formed from aluminum sheeting, the loader possesses a weight of approximately one hundred pounds when equipped with a gasoline engine of the type set forth. This relative lightness in weight enables the same to be readily carried or moved from one location to another by one man. The loader is highly advantageous in operations involving the moving of bulk materials from ground locations into bodies of trucks or wagons and also in transferring such materials from truck or wagon bodies to more elevated locations. Because of its lightness in weight, the loader does not require the use of a wheeled frame of its own, and thus the loader may be handled and more readily positioned in operating locations than is possible when ground wheels are required. The forward wall 16 of the hopper carries a deflector baffle 58, which directs bulk materials toward the conveyor and minimizes the tendency of materials to bridge in the hopper in a manner interferring with their flow toward the conveyor. When the plate 58 is removed the forward end of the loader may be allowed to sink into grain material to be loaded, thus feeding the conveyor from beneath the same as well as relying on scooping such materials into the hopper.

As shown in Fig. 14, the side walls I3 in the region of the hopper are of reduced height before the same flare outwardly in comparison with the height thereof in the upper regions of the conveyor, as will be noted by comparing the showing in Fig. 14 with those of Figs. 3 and 5. The relatively low side walls l3, in the lower region of the conveyor enables the flights 32 to engage more effectively the materials to be elevated when the latter are deposited in the hopper, thereby preventing such materials from are- 6 ing or bridging in the hopper and not falling into proper engagement with the conveyor flights.

The construction is, of course, subject to certain variation or modification without departing from the scope of the following claim.

I claim:

A portable loader comprising an elongated frame formed to provide a longitudinally extending material-conveying trough, said trough at the material-receiving end of the loader frame being enlarged to constitute an open-topped hopper, a conveyor for advancingmaterials positioned in said hopper longitudinally of said trough from its material-receiving end to its opposite material-discharging end, a motor mounted on said frame, power transmitting devices driven by said motor for driving said conveyor, said hopper having a front wall, a rigid hook-extension projecting from the upper edge of said front wall for the mounting and attachment of the materialreceiving end of the loader frame on an associated support, and reinforcing web means uniting said extension with said front wall, said reinforcing means serving to rigidify and strengthen both the extension and said front wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

